As many of you who are reading this may already know, in the past month I have been dealing with some illness and underwent hernia/bowel obstruction surgery at a mission hospital. You can click here to read more from our monthly newsletter.

Life Events and Challenges A few weeks before falling sick, it was a Sunday morning and we were driving to church when we were rear ended by a motorbike. This type of situation can quickly escalate into a mob scene so we have been instructed to not stop at the scene. Grateful that no one was seriously injured and our vehicle only had minor scrapes we reported the incident to the local police department.

Shortly after we arrived in Kenya we started the process of applying for our work visa through the Kenyan Government. We were told that it should take about 6 months to complete if all goes well. However, when we followed up we were told that there was corruption within the Immigration Department and we would have to start the process all over again. This means an extra expense of traveling 7 hours to Nairobi and staying in a guest house to file our paperwork and have pictures taken. Ten months later, Deb’s work permit was issued, however, we found out that Bob’s is lost and we are told that someone is assigned to find out what the status is.

Burden or Bridge? Recently I was listening to a Pastor speak on a radio program about adversity and he said “Do you see adversity as a burden or a bridge?” I must admit that I have been looking at the things that have been happening in our lives as burdens rather than a bridge which leads us closer to God. It’s our choice on how we respond. This made me begin to reevaluate how I was looking at our recent challenges.

As we were preparing to come to serve in Kenya I met with my sister’s good friend who served in Tanzania for 2 years. She shared some of the wisdom she had from living in Africa. We laughed and even cried a bit. I took serious notes on the things she shared. She spoke about how God worked in her life while she was there. Then she looked me straight in the eye and very seriously asked me “Is He Enough”. I wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. She shared with me that her mentor said that to her before she left on her mission. After we went our separate ways my mind kept thinking about what she said “Is He Enough”?

A few weeks later I was sorting through some paperwork that I had saved when I came across a devotion that I printed in 2009, the year I took my first mission trip to Kenya. As I looked at the title I couldn’t believe my eyes --“He Is Enough”! Anybody that knows me well knows that I don’t hold onto too many things. Yet I had chosen to keep this devotion for 6 years. It spoke of how we can be overwhelmed by life and filled with hopelessness, depression or despair. However, whatever our circumstances, Jesus is present with His love, compassion and grace and He will carry us safely through it.

I continue to be amazed at God and how He works in our lives. I know that He doesn’t keep us from trials but he helps us get through them. Now, one year later as I think about that day sitting with our friend in the small café in Minnesota asking me the question “Is He enough?” I understand why I wasn’t able to answer the question. I was never in a position that God was all I had. I was able to rely on family, friends, my own knowledge and self sufficiency. But living in a new culture where everything is new and foreign you find yourself relying on God like never before and truly knowing He Is Enough.

﻿Philippians 4:19

My God will meet your every need out of his riches in the glory that is found in Christ Jesus. CEB﻿

In the first weeks of January the construction on the first two buildings on The Shelter property began with the large Multi Purpose building and House 1. Our contractor has been able to work on both buildings at the same time with a crew for each. This time of year here there is no rain (or very little) so the construction crew has been able to make great progress on both buildings. We thought you would be interested in seeing the progress.

Multi Purpose Building

House 1

Getting concrete 8 feet in the air

Its simple.

Mix concrete on the ground

Fill bottom of 20 liter plastic bottle

Hand to guy on ladder

Hand to guy on top of concrete form

Pour concrete into form

Drop plastic bottle

Repeat

So what's next?

Even at the current pace it will take a few more months to complete the construction of these two buildings. In the meantime, the Director's of The Shelter, Caleb and Eunice Otieno, Rick and Ann Smith from Oasis for Orphan's Kenya, and ourselves have begun working on getting the operational side of the project ready. Lots to still complete before we can start bringing in the orphaned children!!

Please consider a monthly donation to our Ministry

We are able to be here building The Shelter through the generous support of our family of financial supporters. Oasis for Orphan's raises funds to support the holistic development of the children in their program and to build and maintain their facilities. We therefore must raise our own support to be able to assist Oasis in getting The Shelter ready for the children. Please prayerfully consider joining our financial support family with a monthly donation. Go to our Donate Now page for further instructions. Make sure to specify Ruzga Family Ministry whether you choose to donate online or by check.

Our return back to Kenya after spending 6 weeks on furlough in the U.S. was a smoother transition than our move here 7 months prior. This time we knew how to obtain money as we needed it, where to buy vegetables (using a few Swahili words) at a roadside stand and even know how many shillings we should pay. We felt comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road with goats, cows and donkeys running across the road. This time culture shock was not overtaking us. We were very excited to get back to Kenya and jump into the progress that has been going on in the building of The Shelter. We were also missing our new friends that we have made.

Praying for Rain

Until this week there has not been any rain for at least eight weeks in Kenya. What that means is that it is more challenging to find vegetables and if you are able to locate them they are triple the normal price. Many Kenyans are walking more than 2 kilometers to find water during the drought. I was shocked to see the cattle that come down to the creek to graze at how thin they had gotten. I mentioned it to a woman that was with me and she said “Yes, even the cattle are suffering”. There have been a few days since we returned that our water from the tap has been off for up to 6 hours and the 10,000 liter water tank that we collect rain water in is nearly empty. A sense of panic and urgency rise up inside of me when I think of not having water. In America we have seen many droughts but the only thing that I can say truly impacted me was that the food costs were higher. Our food source was never this low and our tap continued to run with fresh clean water. Another result of the lack of rain is an outbreak of Cholera in our area of Southwest Kenya. This outbreak has left six people dead and 80 others hospitalized in critical condition. This is a disease that we have never had to worry about before. So, we continue to boil and filter our water as well as bleach our fruits and vegetables.

Commissioning of the Shelter Land by the Governor

Our first week back in Kenya the new Director of Oasis For Orphans, Michael Hindes and board member, Chris Herden, came to Kenya and stayed with us for a few days. They spoke of the gratitude we have for all of the help the Governor has given us in building the road up to the property of The Shelter. The Governor planted a tree, delivered a plaque and thanked Oasis for partnering with the local community in building the children’s home.

No one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4,

We have just returned to Ken﻿ya from our 6 week furlough to the United States.It was a wonderful time filled with renewal as we reconnected with our family and friends.

One thing that God has showed us in our time in Africa is that people are what really matter. Our friends on the other side of the globe know this and do it very well. Relationships are everything and tasks come second. Before we left Kenya a friend of ours from America visited us. When she returned to the United States she sent us some of her reflections from her visit and we would love to share them with you.

Angie's Visit to Kenya:"I had the privilege of traveling to Migori, Kenya this past November to visit my dear friends, the Ruzgas.As you know, the Ruzgas are serving as missionaries in Migori for Oasis for Orphans. You probably know that they are there primarily to oversee the building of a new orphanage, My big takeaway from this trip is that they are doing so much more than project managing.

The bulk of their job has become about relationships. This means navigating within a culture and languages that are not necessarily natural or comfortable at times. Bob and Deb have done a great job at jumping in and embracing the life they have in Migori. Although certainly challenging, they both are authentically working on relationships with Kenyans, be it in business, the marketplace, neighborhood or in their own home. The mishaps and mis-communications that one inevitably encounters can be frustrating and disappointing, but the laughs and learned lessons from these encounters are treasured. Doing business or making friends can be hard work in the U.S., where English is the primary language and our cultural cues are fairly similar…..these same activities in another culture can be quite difficult. Kenyan's prize relationships primarily because in a land of such poverty, people and not things come first. This tends to lead to a slower and maybe more satisfying cadence of life. (However, this pace can seem aggravating at times to Americans.) Being with the Ruzgas, and getting a glimpse into their lives is a true testament to stepping out in faith. They want to learn, they want to build community, they want to grow and they want to serve God. They may not know the ending to the story, but they are joyous about each chapter as it unfolds.

Facts about Migori: Migori is the capital city of the county of Migori in Kenya. Migori sits on the southwestern border of Kenya and Tanzania. 43% of people in Migori live below the poverty line. There is only 48 miles of tarmac (paved roads) in Migori County. There is approximately 1 doctor per 52,000 residents in Migori County.

Facts about Bob and Deb: Deb takes learning Swahili seriously and is getting pretty good. (Ask her about her flashcards.) Bob’s days are filled with meeting with contractors, city/county officials and Oasis staff. Four-wheel drive is required to get into the Ruzga compound. Bob and Deb will walk to the duka (road side shop) up on the tarmac (paved road) to have a soda/date and be social. “Mommy Deb” is well known around her neighborhood. Women and children will come out to greet her when she out walking and she eagerly learns about them too. A vigorous, but beautiful, uphill walk is required from the Ruzga home to the new Shelter project. Deb is using her CNA certification to assist at Kenya Relief."

Thank You Angie for your beautiful words!!

Our Prayer Requests:

Health

Financial support to come in faithfully

Learning and speaking Swahili

wisdom as we interview for a social worker and guidance in the child selection process.

Neighborhood Friends

1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

﻿St. Martha's Ministry Fire﻿

There was a large fire in the Toi District of Kibera this month. The fire destroyed many businesses in the slums, including our ministry partner St. Martha's Ministry. We were in Nairobi the night that of the fire so went to Kibera to help Eunice and the women clean up the site, pray for them in this difficult time and give them words of encouragement.

St. Martha's teaches HIV/AIDS positive widows sewing and bead work to equip them to earn a living for their families. In the fire they lost all their supplies, sewing machines, and completed orders.

Praise God in all things! Despite the tragedy, God had a plan. News of this fire spread quickly to ministry partners, and people back home stepped up and started giving generously for them to rebuild.

St. Martha's had been hampered by limited space in their building. To overcome this, Caleb and Eunice are rebuilding from the fire with a two-story building.

The photo on the left is Caleb and Eunice in the frame of their new building. By the time you read this, the roof should be installed and concrete floors will be poured soon.

Visiting the Oasis Orphanages with Friends

Our friends Jim & Denise from back home came to visit and spend some time with us. They run for TEAM Oasis and raise money for the orphanages. During their stay, we gave them a tour of the three Oasis sites.

To the right you can see the main road to The Shelter (the site we are overseeing the construction of). This is a significant improvement from its original state, and is now very drivable, although steep, with normal vehicles.

During our walk to the new site, local boys followed us. They said they're orphans in the area, but it's hard to tell without proper documentation. Who knows, maybe future residents of The Shelter?

Below is a panoramic of Bob and Jim at the new site with portions of the new fence visible.

While TEAM Oasis was running the Chicago Marathon this year, five boys from The Hill took it upon themselves to run the same distance at the same time.

It was great to see the boys share running stores with Jim, who ran the Chicago Marathon.

Malaria is a problem at The Valley right now, partially due to old mosquito netting in the dorms. There is a high rate of malaria in rural Kenya, and is something very common in our area.

While giving Jim & Denise a tour and introducing them to the leaders and children, we brought along new mosquito nets for the bunk beds and helped the staff install them.

We feel so blessed each time we get to visit the children and especially when we can bring visitors. The love and warmth these children give is so inspiring and humbling. They have very little but the give so much!

We've been able to furnished our home with all the basics and are anxiously awaiting visitors. As our friend Daniel says: "Kenya Rocks!" so make plans to visit us soon!

Our internet up and running!! As long as the power stays on. The power generally goes off each day for some period of time. Many times its after the sun has set and before we go to bed so we are so grateful for the candles that we brought.

Furniture Delivery. Kenya Rocks!

We met with a Kenyan architect who has helped us move the blueprints for The Shelter complex quickly through the approvals process. We have received 3 of 4 approvals and are well on our way to receiving the 4th approval within the next month. The Good News is we can continue working towards a bid process to find the contractor who will be awarded the opportunity to build the Multi-purpose building and the first home while we wait for our final approval!!!

We spent a couple of days at the Hill and The Valley with the Sponsor team that visited. Did a VBS at the Valley led by Dan Huffman. It was a beautiful day of fun while the kids sang and played games. One of Deb's highlights was making the beds in the kids dorms with new sheets and blankets that the sponsor team brought. Bob also helped Pastor Moses set up his new computer and ipad at the Valley.

Caleb's wife, Eunice and their 3 boys came to spend the week and see where their dad has been working. We spent time together fellowshiping, brainstorming ideas and next steps for The Shelter.

We've been asked "What are you eating?". Well, we've had everything from Rice and Beans, homemade pizza, Chapati (a flour like tortilla), spaghetti and now amazing Indian food prepared by our land lady who has stopped by for a few weeks. We are also enjoying fresh avocado's that are in season and grow as big as a 16" softball. Our friend, Flora, regularly brings them to us freshly picked off the tree by her children.

Chapati

Utility House, Gates and Guard House

The Shelter is a short 1 1/4 km walk up the hill from our home. The chain link fence is complete around the property and the vehicle and pedestrian gates are in place. The guard and utility house are up and the interiors are being finished. Our highlight is being met by the children on our walk up as they greet you, grab your hand, ask us to "take a photo" and smile for a picture and then just hang with us.

We have attended a church in our town. Its so moving to see a child worshiping and praising God so passionately in front of the church with arms high and eyes closed.

As we head into our next weeks and months we are so blessed to have you are following us. Thank you!